Wednesday, April 15, 2009

I’ve had a package of large dried white beans in the pantry for a little while and have been thinking about making a bean salad with them. That was until I saw a package of hand-made artisanal crackers at the specialty store and couldn't resist them. And they were calling for a white bean dip.

I love dips and spreads. If I had my choice I’d have a mezze platter every day of the week with hummus, babaganouj, some cured meats, some olives, and a maybe and artichoke or bean dip!

Making a dip doesn’t take much time – most of the time is inactive time. Make sure you buy dried beans from somewhere that has a reasonably high turnover – you don’t want old beans, which will take longer to cook and yield a less pleasing result.

Soak beans overnight in a generous amount of cold water. Rinse and pick out any debris. In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, sauté onion and garlic with thyme in a few tablespoons of olive oil until onions are translucent. Add beans and cold water to cover beans by a few inches. Bring to a full boil and then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook until beans are tender 1-2 hours. Remove thyme.

Drain beans and place in blender with ¼ cup olive oil and a generous sprinkling of salt and pepper. Purée, adding additional olive oil slowly to adjust texture as desired. Finish with a sprinkling of chopped parsley, sea salt and pepper and a drizzle of olive oil.

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comments:

Fabulous idea to get rid of all my beans... I have a large stack of various beans that I used for a photoshoot once and this is a perfect recipe for some of them! I love the photo too. I always struggle a bit with photos from top as it is hard to place all the ingredients at the right position but this looks very natural and beautiful! Great combination of colors too!

The photo is gorgeous, I agree with Junglefrog, it's very hard to get so great light in a shot from above.The recipe is something I'll also have to try, I have too a packet of dried beans resting in the cupboard.

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Cooking (and eating) is a passion. I love to discover new techniques and dishes. I love tackling a new recipe. I love cooking for others. I have a deep interest all things food: the chemistry and process of cooking, the art of presentation, and the overall aesthetics of a meal.

What started as a passion for cooking, therefore, has also blossomed into a deep interest in exploring the visual art of food via food photography (after all, we eat with our eyes first).